Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
Comments
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Donna: Ask your doc to give you a script for Emla Cream. You cover the port area and seal with Saran Wrap - or even better Stretch & Seal since you don't need any tape. Do this an hour before they start and you won't feel anything when they access the port site. Don't get it on your fingers or they will go numb too.
BlownAway - I had Decadron oral steroids only. Rx said 2 on the day before, 2 the day of chemo, 2 the day after. A friend who had lung cancer said he extended the last day by taking only 1 on day three and 1 on day four so the drop off wasn't as severe. I did the same & it worked well.
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Hi MinusTwo,I have the cream, but I was running late and put it on in the car, only 15 min. ahead. I was afraid to use my finger, so I don't think I applied enough! Thanks! I love the save a steroid idea! Did you get the shakes coming off them? My hands aren't visibly shaking, but I feel shaky. I had my last two yesterday, so today was a full day off. Thanks again!
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I also started splitting the steroid dose in half in the days after tx so as to avoid the crash - it worked for me. I carried a folded up piece of plastic wrap and a tube of Emla in the car just in case I forgot to put it on at home. I usually put a blob directly onto the plastic wrap then stuck it to my chest - I had better aim that way, and no muss on the fingers or hands. If you use regular plastic wrap the goopiness of the cream is usually enough to hold it on to the skin with regular wrap.
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I love that cream!!! I put it on 2 hours before...my tube is almost gone. I have two more treatments of Herceptin left.0 -
Love - get another RX just because.
Donna - I too carried some in my car. I squirted directly on the port area and smoothed it around w/a Q-tip. I like Special's idea of putting it on the stretch wrap.
I originally was introduced to Emla to use during electrolysis. Don't have much hair on my head yet but sure getting long black chin hairs. I'll go back to my electrolysis lady as soon as my blood counts are more stable.
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is there a bag o balm link
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Minus two - what are the steroids for exactly. I know Im getting them during the infusion but nothing at home. What symptoms do they help.
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i have all these plus perjeta. Day 4 after first round of chemo, feel okay but red rash on chest persists. Onco says its drug related, yippee yo, will likely recur each round. Tired but so much better. Benadryl keeps it under control barely. Trying ice packs and pain reliever spray for itch. I go again 8.29, not looking forward to it but have no choice.....
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Steroids are for allergic reaction and nausea control.
bippy - are you getting IV Benadryl as a pre-med? If not, ask your MO about it.
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Thanks SpecialK. BlownAway - I never had ANY nausea with this Decadron routine so I swear by it.
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In my center if you get subsequent IV fluids in the days after tx they also add Decadron to those for anti-nausea.
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Minus - I know that Decadron is in my iv and also Dex.......something but otherwise I dont have any steroids to take at home, nor extra fluids. Last time they added Emend and I didnt have any nausea at all.
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I do steriod premeds at home...nothing In My infusion except chemo and then zometa every other treatment, I get it today. Have nausea pills at home but didn't need them. This is just my second round . We will see what my counts are. If down I will have to go in tomorrow for nueprogin . I have only had it once. My doc allows to go very low..he has kept a close eye on me over these 3 years, and so far I have never got a cold or fever or anything....hope that didn't jinx me...lol. So he lets my body bring back the white cell count on its own. Sometimes he cuts back the amount of chemo instead of the nueprogin shot. The one time he have it to me I was getting on a plane. He said he really didn't want to get a call from a hospital out of state...lol
Hope everyone is well today
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Hello ladies....I am hoping some one may have some suggestions as to the stabbing pains in my big toe nails because half of the nail has lifted. It seems like my toes are becoming more painful and I think it may be because the nerves are growing back. The rest of my feet feel better and feel more normal...except my toes. I was done with hard chemo in Dec and now have one more treatment of Herceptin. I am on Tamox but I don't think that is causing this. Did the pain go away after the nail grew out? I am taking Tylenol pm and aspirin during the day. Thanks for any info you are led to share.
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Hello All! I'm new to this forum and I'm scheduled tomorrow morning for my first treatment. I have read through many of your posts and have found them to be extremely helpful. I intend to contribute often and share my experiences and hopefully gain connection as well as some reassurance from others going through my same treatment.
I'm a bit apprehensive for my first infusion tomorrow, which I imagine is typical; my port was placed 4 days ago and is still plastered over with a gigantic waterproof bandage so it's hard to get a picture of how this will all work since the site is still so sore.
Any words of wisdom about any aspect of this before I head in tomorrow morning?! I'm just about 24 hours from my appointment time, and I'll be taking 5 decadron 12 hours prior to treatment, along with a big protein-rich breakfast and a lot of water...wish me luck!!
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I didnt do as well this last chemo as I did with the 2nd. They had added Emend and I had no nausea at all after the 2nd chemo. I know the nurse put it in during my 3rd chemo because she showed me the bag, but Ive been sick anyway. My "pre-meds" were not there yet so I sat getting nothing but saline for about an hour. Maybe they got too diluted? I hope the doctor didn't just change the amount or strength - if so, he's going to get an earful from me!
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consciousGirl I'm rarely on this thread but I thought I would answer you. I had my 1st chemo less than 24 hours after my port was "installed." so don't be concerned about only 4 days. The plastic is good. Keeps the incision dry till it heals.
Most of us had a very uneventful first infusion. They infuse you slowly and watch you closely to be sure you don't have any reaction. If you do they will stop and probably give you more Benadryl or something similar. I didn't have any reaction to any of the TCH so they kept increasing the speed. The next day I was in the gym working out for 70 minutes… or maybe it was my 2nd chemo. Not sure if my port surgeon would let me work out. Anyway my point is I was fine just tired. It's a long day. The benadryl can make you spacey if you get that. Some folks actually go to sleep.
Just bring water and something to eat (not smelly so you don't bother others). Bring a book, ipad, video games or something to do. It's a rather boring day for most of us.
♥ ♥
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consciousgirl - I had my port surgically placed in the morning and had my first chemo the same day. The surgeon put the needle in (called accessing the port) while I was still under, so it did not hurt. You really need to have the lidocaine cream on hand to put on the port site one hour before they access it for chemo.
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Excellent! Really appreciate the quick replies. Helps relieve the concerns and I know that quieting those unknowns is a big part of it.Nothing would make me happier than getting my workout in the following morning. I'm adding that to my intention...knowing we are all different and will roll with whatever comes my way. Definitely getting that cream so many have sworn by. Will probably have a bazillion more questions so thanks in advance for sharing your experiences. Onward!
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consciousGirl if you can't get the cream get them it ice the area first. To be honest half the time I would forget the cream especially when I was just doing herceptin or getting my port flushed (I kept mine in for 2 years). It only hurt for a second and not bad. One of the chemo nurses was amazing though. I never felt it when she did it. I didn't need lidocaine with her.
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CG...good luck! It is a long day and okay to be nervous. Bring some snacks and a blanket and something to do.
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CG - are you planning to ice your nails? I would recommend it during the Taxotere portion of your infusion - both lago and princess have had pretty serious nail issues.
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Hadn't planned on icing my nails but adding it to my to-do list, Thanks for the heads-up!
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CG - I used bags of frozen peas that I brought in a cooler. When I got home again I just threw them back in the freezer for the next tx. I had to replace them at the half way point. I wore thinner socks and just laid the peas on my feet, and held the other two bags in a towel on my lap and dug my fingers in. I also brought chipped ice in an insulated tumbler and tried to hold ice in my mouth during the taxotere infusion - helps with mouth sores.
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Dear consciousGirl, welcome to BCO and all the best from us for your first infusion. Glad you've received this valuable input from the ladies here, as it makes all the difference to know these tricks before, not afterwards.
We hope it goes well and without any SEs.
The Mods
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Hi consciousgirl
Good luck with your first infusion. My first was also uneventful. And I did what SpecialK suggested on icing the nails and mouth and even though my treatment was cut short to 4 - I do not have any nail issues and never had a mouth sore. In fact, my nails have never been better lol - but I was making sure to keep them trimmed and I used a nail hardener on them the whole time also.
Also - don't know if you have gone to this thread below yet but it has a list of items and idea to help with SE's DO NOT GO AND GET EVERYTHING ON THIS LIST as you will not have every SE and may have none or very few - but it is a good place to go if you do have one and want to know what to do to help with it. Also - make sure you tell your MO all SE that you have - let him/her be the judge on if they are important or not. As with everything during chemo you need to get your Doc's ok on anything you take or do. You will also find that you will get invaluable advice from the women in here who have gone through this. They have been my life lines!!
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topic/706846?page=52#idx_1546
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Wow! Thank you all for your all your support. Day #1 was as predicted, uneventful. Whew! A little background: I live in Marin County, CA, which is just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. This county the HIGHEST PER CAPITA BREAST CANCER RATE in the country, that's the entire USA, not just California. They have been studying why for years and have concluded it's NOT environmental but something to do with life-style choices. Anyway, the upside to this is that the medical facilities here see SO MUCH of it that they are totally ahead of the curve. My oncologist and the infusion center nurses are unbelievable. The nurse gave me a spray that freezes on the port site (just 5 days since placement and still tender) and I felt nothing. When I asked about the cream she had already packaged 2 tubes along with a bunch of "tegaderm film" patches to put over it so I can come into the remaining sessions already numbed. EVERY possible SE question I had was kinda like that. I discussed icing but I'm already prescribed the Neupogen shots to give myself 4 days post infusion on days 4-7, and they felt it was better to go that route. (Actually my husband got the instructions and will be giving them to me). I'm definitely still amped up a bit from the decadron. Watching closely over the next few days for SE's and making a big old spreadsheet to chart my meds and record my reactions, etc. while I have all this energy! I also got a heart valve test due to the possible damage to the left valve, and it cam back extremely high, which was great to know. The can treat at 75 and above and my score was 90. Strong Heart! I'm relieved. I'm 60 and thank myself or every heart-healthy choice I made in my lifetime. When something like this happens, you can't cram to be prepared, you either are or you aren't. Hope you are all faring well; I'm learning something from every post I see! I envy you being father down the road to completion, but I'm one session closer now. (Oh, and I have TINY veins; they needed 3 tries to get the IV in for port placement, so the infusion center agreed to have me go in for my blood draw at 8:30am on the day of my sessions, leave the port accessed, and return at 1:30 for my session. Luckily I live very close by and can make that work, and what a great solution they came up with. One less poke - actually more like 2 or 3 less since they rarely get it the first time!)
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conscious - so glad your first tx wasn't too bad. Just a note about icing. Neulasta or Neupogen are to prevent the White Blood Cells from cratering to help prevent infection. I had a Neulasta shot 24 hours after each infusion. The icing during Taxotere (and I recommend frozen peas) may help to prevent nail loss. It may help help with neuropathy - a totally different beast. You may want to do a little research on that since it's not well understood by most docs & many of us are stuck with numbness &/or pain forever. Ice in the mouth during taxotere has helped many of us avoid mouth sores.
Where are you going for treatment? My son lives in Novato and I'm glad to know there are good BC resources when I can visit him again.
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consciousGirl I had my blood draws the same day as chemo. It's the way my center does it. Also I had Nuelasta instead of Neupogen. I tried to ice but it didn't work for me… I was one of the unlucky ones. I don't think it kept my fingers cold enough. But I did ice my mouth (sucked on ice chips). Never had another mouth sore when I started doing that.
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Conscious, I lived in Marin for 10 years before making a career change in 2005. I still get painfully homesick for the Bay Area. When I did my biopsy I agreed to let the hospital take unused tissue samples for a study on breast cancer; I mentioned Marin County's high rate and she thought that was interesting. I tested negative for the BRCA mutation, so it's probably not genetic in my case.
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